The 2026 Impact Fellowships Summit (IFS)
About IFS IFS 2026 Research Partner with Us
About the 2026 Impact Fellowships Summit (IFS)
This year's IFS will focus on “A Decade of Connection: Shaping the Future Vision of Fellowships Together” which will celebrates 10 years of this community of fellowship leaders, designer, and practitioners coming together and explore how fellowship programs have and can evolve to meet emerging global challenges, bridge divides, strengthen belonging, and amplify collective impact for the next decade and beyond.
To ground this forward-looking conversation, we’ll open the summit by unveiling new findings from the 2026 IFN Impact Study. This collaborative research initiative brought together 23 fellowship organizations to explore the strategies, structures, and learning approaches that support leaders addressing challenges in their communities and systems. These insights offer a powerful launch point for the conversations ahead
By exchanging research, resources, and expertise, IFS 2026 aims to celebrate the accomplishments of this community and advance the work of a growing community of social impact practitioners.
Impact Fellowship Summit Dates
- April 27 - 28, 2026: Virtual engagement
- April 29 - 30, 2026: In-person engagement in Washington D.C. Plenaries will be available virtually.
Location for in-person engagement: 1350 I ST NW Washington, D.C. 20005.
For those interested, two nearby hotels are holding a limited number of rooms on a first‑come, first‑served basis. Details are provided below.
- Hamilton Hotel – 1001 14th St NW, Washington, DC 20005
- The Eaton Hotel - 1201 K St NW, Washington, DC 20005
Schedule at a Glance (all times in Eastern Daylight Time)
Call for Proposals
Co-create this year's theme of “A Decade of Connection: Shaping the Future Vision of Fellowships Together” to explore how fellowship programs have and can evolve to meet emerging global challenges! Contribute to collective learning to advance the impact fellowship sector by leading a workshop, panel discussion, community-building activity or an activity of your choosing under one of the thematic tracks:
- Centering Support & Belonging in Programming - explores strategies to embed connection and inclusion into program design, equipping fellowship leaders with the tools to strengthen fellow support and ensure participants and alumni feel valued.
- Strategies and Partnerships to Enhance Program Impact - Exploring innovative approaches, operational techniques, and cross-sector partnerships that enhance program funding, design and delivery.
- Transforming Fellowships through Technology – explores creative and practical ways to leverage AI, digital tools, and virtual engagement to enhance every stage of the experience—from recruitment to alumni engagement.
- Research & Learning from Fellowship Experiences - Insights and frameworks for understanding fellowship impact on individuals, institutions, communities, and systems.
- Shape the Vision – if your session does not fit into any of the listed tracks, please write in the topic that best represents your session.
We welcome proposals that foster learning, sharing, and networking, while promoting representative voices and perspectives. You may apply with a co-facilitator or request to be matched with one. Your session could be the catalyst for meaningful connections and transformative ideas in our fellowship community.
Call for Proposal applications will be accepted up until 11:59 PM PST on February 22, 2026.
Steering Committee
The IFS 2026 Steering Committee brings together a dynamic group of leaders, innovators, and subject‑matter experts dedicated to shaping the vision and direction of this year’s summit. This committee plays a central role in guiding program development, identifying emerging priorities, and ensuring that IFS 2026 delivers meaningful insights and real-world impact.
Bianca Anderson
Bianca Casanova Anderson is an educator, nonprofit leader, and social justice practitioner with expertise in interpersonal communication, racial equity facilitation, and human development. Her passion for human centered change began in the classroom, where she spent more than a decade creating inclusive learning environments that center relationships, elevate marginalized voices, and interrupt racism.
As the founding Director for the Dallas Fort Worth site of the Center for Racial Justice in Education, Bianca trained and advised more than 3,000 community leaders and educators across the country on effective racial equity policies, practices, and organizational approaches.
Bianca joined ProInspire in 2020 and became Co-CEO in 2021. In her role, she partners with social change leaders, community based organizations, and philanthropic foundations to strengthen equitable leadership practices, strategy, and organizational culture. Most importantly, Bianca love people and she seeks to create space where all people, in particular Black women, feel safe, seen and significant.
Asandi Conner
Asandi Conner is a voice bearer, strategist, writer, coach, and designer of beautiful sacred spaces.
She leads the Detroit Equity Action Lab, an initiative of Wayne State University Law School's Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights. Asandi previously led the Detroit Revitalization Fellows, another university talent and leadership development program.
Asandi has two degrees and, more importantly, a multitude of life and career lessons that have shaped her leadership journey. She is a Detroiter and longtime Detroit Lions fan who loves eating chocolate chip cookies, watching the Law & Order television franchise, gardening, and dancing to house music
Kristen Hecht
Kristen Hecht is the Founder and CEO of Kristen Hecht, LLC, a bespoke consulting firm that specializes in capacity-building, leadership coaching, and workshop facilitation. With over 15 years of experience in the social impact sector, she has developed a niche in designing, facilitating, and strengthening fellowships and other cohort-based learning programs.
Academically, Kristen received her Master of Arts in international politics from American University and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of North Texas. She has also completed continuing education training through the Next Level Lab at Harvard University's Graduate School of Education.
Kristen currently resides in Washington, DC, where she serves on the Board of Directors for the United Nations Association of the National Capital Area (UNA-NCA). She has also served on the National Council for the United Nations Association of the United States of America (UNA-USA) and has been an active member of the Impact Fellowships Network, a community of practice for fellowship program managers and facilitators.
In her free time, Kristen enjoys hiking, cycling, and traveling. Her personal values - which also guide her professional ethos - include adventure, growth, and community.
Michael Michaelson
Michael Michaelson (he/him) is the Executive Director of Second Day and Progressive Pipeline, two fellowship programs that place students from historically underrepresented backgrounds into paid internships across the social change sector. Since launching in 2020, they've deployed more than 700 fellows to groups like the National League of Cities, SEIU, Mi Familia Vota, and iCivics: 76% identify as people of color and 73% are women or non-binary. Michael is a SHRM Senior Certified Professional and an Edwardson Civic Scholar at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. He lives in South Portland, Maine.
Anna Molero
Anna is the Chief External Engagement and Partnerships Officer at Teach For All, a global network of independent organizations that are cultivating their nations’ promising future leaders to ensure their most marginalized children have the chance to fulfill their true potential. Anna leads Teach For All’s efforts to develop and grow meaningful partnerships with public sector organizations to support the advancement of our vision and the global development agenda as a whole. She is also the Secretary of the People First Community, a cross-sectoral and globally diverse group of 500+ practitioners, academics, and public and private sector actors with a shared belief in the importance of prioritizing investing in collective leadership development as a path for sustainable development.
Besides, Anna has 20 years of experience in senior leadership positions in the field of international development, institutional partnerships, economic promotion, entrepreneurship and youth policies. She has been the CEO of the economic development agency of Barcelona’s municipal government employing 350+ people and founded a boutique-consulting firm that advises intergovernmental bodies on fostering economic growth in European, MENA and LATAC countries.
Anna is also a Board Member of different not-for-profit organizations such as the Asian based charity The Hub, the international NGO Street Business School, and the Basic Education Coalition.